Flaxseeds and flaxseed meal are a rich source of fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals. Flaxseed meal is a great addition to your diet because flaxseeds are low in calories, low in carbs, and are gluten-free. Eating raw ground flaxseeds can help to improve your heart health, lose weight, boost your digestive health, and improve your skin’s appearance.

Consuming flaxseed meal is also good if you have a gluten intolerance. Flaxseed isn’t a grain, and it contains more nutrients than many grains do without having any gluten. The high fiber content of flaxseed and its low carbohydrate value means that flaxseed meal is good for diabetics and others who need to consume low-starch foods.

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In this article, you will learn about the many reasons why flaxseed meal is good for you. You will also find out how much flaxseed you need to eat to lose weight, maintain heart health, lower cholesterol, and improve cognitive function.

What Are Flaxseeds?

Flaxseeds are a functional food because of their high nutritional value. Flax or flax seeds (Latin, Linum usitatissimum) are also called linseeds.

Flaxseeds look like small flat seeds that can vary in color from golden yellow to dark brown. Raw flaxseeds have a distinct nutty taste.

The seeds of the flax plant contain an outer shell. These shells are edible but are difficult to digest. That is why when using flaxseeds in drinks or eating the seeds raw, you need to grind the flax seeds into a powder.

The Journal of Food and Science Technology reports that all parts of the flaxseed plant can be used. The stalks of the flax plant are used in industry for making strong fiber. However, in recent years, many people have become interested in the therapeutic use of flaxseeds for treating various health conditions. (1)

Flaxseed is a rich source of healthy fats, lignans (plant-based phytoestrogens with antioxidant properties), and dietary fiber. In fact, researchers say that flaxseed can contain up to 800 times more lignans than other grains, seeds, or legumes. (2)

What is Flaxseed Meal?

Flaxseed meal is seeds from the flax plant that have been ground up into a type of flaxseed flour. Consuming flaxseed meal allows you to get all the nutrients, minerals, and vitamins from seeds.

Flaxseed meal looks like a powder substance and will help to improve the nutritional value of your meals and drinks. In fact, because flaxseed meal has so much fiber, you will feel fuller for longer after having one or 2 spoons of flaxseed.

You can add a teaspoon or 2 of flaxseed meal to drink with a glass of water. Or, you can grind up flax seeds and sprinkle a tablespoon of flaxseed on your salad, soup or yogurt. You can also add milled flaxseed to your favorite smoothie.

Flaxseed vs. Flaxseed Meal

Consuming whole seeds from the flax plant will usually end up with them going straight through your digestive system. Although chewing flaxseeds will help to break them up and make them easier to digest, many will remain whole and intact.

When adding flax seed to your diet, it is best to grind flaxseed to create flaxseed flour or powder. This lets your body absorb all the nutrients that are packed into each seed.

For example, the Journal of the American College of Nutrition reports on the nutritional difference between whole flaxseed and flaxseed meal.

Flaxseed meal is rich in healthy fats and fiber, so it’s great to use it when you are baking. This will also increase the fiber content of your food and add a nutty flavor.

When buying flaxseeds to use in your diet, you should always buy whole seeds. You should then grind them into powder when you want to use them. This way you retain all of the nutritional value of flax seeds.

Flaxseed Meal – Nutrition Facts

Consuming ground flaxseed as part of a healthy diet can give you plenty of nutrients that are good for your health.

The United States Department of Agriculture reports that 2 teaspoons of ground flaxseeds contain just 13 calories and 0.7 grams of carbohydrates. (4)

This relatively small serving of 4 grams of flaxseed meal (2 tsp.) contains 0.7 grams of fiber which is 3% of your recommended daily intake (RDI).

Researchers have also found that flaxseed meal is a rich source of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). More than 70% of the oil in each flaxseed is alpha-linolenic (ALA) omega-3 fatty acid. 10 grams of milled flaxseed contains 2,338 mg of omega-3 fatty acids. (5)

Flaxseed also contains proteins and essential amino acids.

One of the many health benefits of flaxseeds is that they are rich in lignans. Studies have shown that flaxseeds are one of the richest foods for lignans. Lignan-rich foods help to improve the gut’s microflora and they also have an antioxidant and anticancer effect. (2, 6)

Another reason to eat ground flaxseeds is that they contain antioxidants. As well as lignans having antioxidant potential, there are other compounds in flaxseed that help destroy toxins in the body. (7)

Some studies show that humans can consume up to 50 g of flaxseeds per day without any adverse side effects. (5)

You can also improve the fiber content and antioxidant content of baked goods and snacks by incorporating flaxseed. The journal Food Research International reported that heat doesn’t destroy the antioxidant capability of flaxseeds. (8)

How to Grind Flaxseeds to Make Flaxseed Meal

The easiest way to make your own flaxseed meal is to put a couple of tablespoons in a coffee grinder and mill the seeds. You can then add a few teaspoons of flaxseed powder to your favorite smoothie.

It is good to remember that the nutritional value of ground flaxseed can quickly be lost. So, put any leftover flaxseed meal in your freezer for later use.

What Are Flaxseeds Good For? Scientifically Proven Benefits of Flaxseed Meal

Let’s look in more detail at what scientific studies have revealed as to the many reasons why flaxseeds are so good for you.

Flaxseed Meal Is Good for Weight Loss

Ground flaxseeds can help you lose body fat because it is highly nutritious and contains a lot of fiber.

A review of randomized controlled trials found that flaxseed supplementation has an anti-obesity effect. Taking doses of up to 30 g of flaxseed meal daily for 12 weeks can help to reduce waistline, improve body mass index, and reduce body weight. (9)

You can also drink flaxseed meal in water if you want to lose weight. One randomized study involving 44 persons found that a flax drink with 2.5 g of flaxseed fiber helped to reduce appetite and lower energy intake. (10)

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Adding flaxseed meal to your daily diet can help you to manage your weight and suppress your feelings of hunger.

Flaxseed Meal is an Anti-Inflammatory Food

Ground seeds from the flax plant can also help protect your health from chronic disease caused by long-term inflammation.

Researchers have discovered that chronic inflammation can affect the body’s immune system, making it susceptible to disease. Inflammation is connected to diseases such as diabetes, arthritis, and cancer. (11)

Research published in 2018 found that the high omega-3 content of flaxseed meal has anti-inflammatory properties. Regularly consuming flax meal helps to inhibit cytokines that are connected to inflammation. (12)

A review of randomized controlled trials has shown that flaxseed oil and lignans from flaxseed meal also reduce chronic inflammation in obese individuals. (13)

Interestingly, wound dressings made from flax fiber have a unique anti-inflammatory effect and can be a more effective type of wound dressing than regular dressings. (14)

Find out what other foods are on the anti-inflammatory foods list that can help lower your risk of chronic disease.

Flax Meal Is Good if You Need to Lower High Cholesterol

Regularly consuming the powder of ground flaxseeds can help lower your risk of cardiac events caused by high cholesterol.

One randomized controlled trial involving men with high cholesterol found that lignans and fiber in flaxseed meal help to lower cholesterol. The group who received 100 mg a day of secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG, or flaxseed lignan) showed a significant reduction of cholesterol in a 12-week period. (20)

Another crossover study found that drinking flaxseed water daily helped to lower LDL (or, “bad”) cholesterol by 15%. (21)

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Other studies on the effects of flaxseed on men have found that flaxseed fiber was better than wheat fiber at lowering LDL cholesterol. (22)

Flaxseed Helps to Keep Your Skin Looking Healthy

The high omega-3 content of ground flaxseed and flaxseed oil means that there are many benefits of using flaxseed products on your skin.

Scientific studies have shown that consuming flaxseed oil supplements can help to alleviate dry skin conditions and improves the appearance of skin. (24)

Flaxseed oil (linseed oil) also has anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties. This means that taking flaxseed oil can also help treat inflammatory skin conditions like psoriasis or eczema. (25, 26)

Flaxseed Is Good for Hair Growth

Milled flaxseed contains many of the nutrients and fatty acids that are needed to help keep hair and scalp healthy.

Although there is no direct scientific research that flaxseed oil and flaxseed meal could help hair growth on humans, studies on animal subjects have shown positive results.

Results from a study in 2013 showed that daily consumption of flaxseed oil promoted hair growth in rabbits. (27)

Another study reported that flaxseed was good for hair growth. Scientists found that over a 3-month period, daily consumption of flaxseed meal boosted hair growth and increased hair length on rabbits. (28)

Flaxseed Meal Promotes Healthy Digestion

One of the health benefits you will feel when consuming ground flaxseeds every day is that your digestive health should improve.

Flaxseed is a good source of dietary fiber because about 40% of the flax seed is either soluble fiber or insoluble fiber. (2)

Researchers say that fiber is essential for good digestion. Fiber absorbs water and helps to bulk-up stool, making it easier to pass. A high-fiber diet helps to increase stool frequency and prevent many digestive diseases. (29)

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Partially defatted flaxseed meal is also an effective natural laxative that can help manage symptoms of constipation in mice. (30)

Other studies have shown that alpha-linolenic acid from flax seed also has a positive effect on the brain. Getting enough ALA omega-3 fatty acid can help protect against neurological conditions like anxiety and depression. (33)

Research on rats found that consuming flaxseed while pregnant had a neuroprotective effect on their offspring. (34)

Flaxseed Meal Can Benefit Menopausal Women

Adding ground flax seeds to your diet can help to alleviate many of the symptoms during the menopause.

One study from 2015 found that taking 5 grams of flaxseed daily helped to relieve menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and vaginal dryness. The women taking the flaxseed supplement also experienced an improved quality of life. (38)

Flaxseed Meal Has Anticancer Properties

Certain compounds in flaxseed extract have been studied for their anticancer activity.

Research in 2018 found that lignans in flaxseeds have a structure similar to estrogen and exert an anti-estrogen activity. Some clinical trials on postmenopausal women have shown that flaxseed consumption can help to lower the risk of breast cancer. (39)

Other studies have shown that men taking 30 g of flaxseed daily can lower their risk of prostate cancer. (40)

Some lab trials have found that the ALA omega-3 content in flaxseed oil can help protect against colon cancer. (41) Lignans in flaxseed also have a protective effect on colorectal cancer. (42)

Of course, more research needs to be done to see how flaxseed and extracts from flax seed meal can be utilized more in cancer treatment.

How to Store Flaxseed Meal?

When you grind flaxseed into a powder, the nutrient value starts to decrease, and the flaxseed oils can become rancid relatively quickly.

You should store whole flax seeds until you want to create flaxseed meal. If you want to grind up more flax seed than you intend to use, place them in the freezer.

How Much Flaxseed to Consume Daily

When consuming flaxseeds for their health benefits, always consume flaxseed meal to make sure you get the most of their health benefits.

Most studies show that consuming up to 50 grams of ground flaxseed daily is safe. This is about 5 tablespoons of whole seed. (5)

How to Use Flaxseeds or Flaxseed Meal

There are many ways that you can add flaxseed meal to your daily diet.

For example, you can grind up a tablespoon of whole flax seeds and add them to your breakfast cereal, yogurt or morning smoothie.

You can sprinkle a desert spoon of flaxseed meal on your sandwich that you have at lunchtime.

If you enjoy baking, then you can add ground flaxseeds to your recipe to increase the nutritional content of baked goods.

It is also possible to make flaxseed water. Add a teaspoon of ground flaxseed to an 8-Fl.oz. glass of water. Leave to stand for 30 minutes until it takes on a gel-like consistency. Drink the flaxseed water first thing in the morning.

You can also sprinkle ground flaxseed on salads, porridge and soups.

Side Effects of Flaxseeds

Flaxseeds are extremely healthy and contain plenty of fiber and nutrients. Because flaxseeds are high in fiber, you may notice that you have more frequent bowel movements. You also may experience side effects of flaxseeds such as bloating or gas.

You should also consume plenty of water when consuming flaxseed meal to prevent the powder from bulking up in your digestive system and blocking your intestines.

There is also some evidence that taking flaxseed in high doses could lower men’s testosterone levels. (43)

I put boiling water over a cup of flax seeds and let it soak overnight. I drain and drink the water before each meal, and put the gelled flaxseeds into my smoothing, salsa, oatmeal, or anything else I can think of!

I tend to steer clear of anything that mentions ‘anti inflammation’ because I have a lung bleeding problem and have had since age 42 and am now 71…have wound up in hospital several times over the years, and so far they have been able to cauterize the vessel that is bleeding…average life span with ‘Massive Hemoptysis’ is 70. Most likely what will cause my demise if one bout of bleeding comes forcefully, causing asphyxiation. I have noticed some products mention ‘strengthens blood vessels’, and other mention ‘increasing blood flow’. Last thing I want is increased blood flow, and I take a good deal of vitamin K-1 to help prevent a bleed. While I have inflammation types such as osteoarthritis, knee/hip pain (and getting worse but don’t dare take many things), I wonder about those that state they ‘strengthen blood vessels’…I wonder if that might prevent them from bleeding, but do not know, so am afraid to take anything that reduces inflammation. Just wanted to mention this dilemma, and I don’t expect any answer, since I doubt if anyone would know the answer. Not easy trying to avoid things that could make one bleed as many things out there can…just wanted to voice what seems to be an unanswerable question…

Flaxseeds do work for weight loss. i have lost about 20lbs just using flaxseeds and husks. It also helps with constipation. Remember that flaxseed oil is different from the actual flaxseeds. If I ever dont have time to do a flaxseed shake, I take the Lady Soma Detox which is like super flaxseed and husks. Thats definitely the quickest way – but also including flaxseeds in your meals helps as well.

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